Beijing, June 27 - A light-sport aircraft collided with a high-rise in Beijing’s Chaoyang district on the evening of June 26, killing the lone pilot and injuring 13 people who were not on board, local officials said. Those hurt are receiving medical treatment and authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, the Chaoyang district government said in a statement.
According to the district statement posted on social media, "A single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft collided with a high-rise building while flying near the East third ring road in Chaoyang, at 5:55 p.m. (0955 GMT) on June 26." The statement added: "There was only one person on board, the pilot, who died." No further details about a possible cause of the crash were provided.
The collision left a visible hole in the building's exterior where two large panes of glass had been lost. By Saturday the gap had been temporarily boarded up. The skyscraper, commonly known as CITIC Tower or China Zun, rises 528 metres and sits in Beijing’s Central Business District roughly 6 km from the Forbidden City. The tower is also located near Zhongnanhai, the compound that houses offices of China’s top political leadership.
Images shared on Chinese social media after the accident showed scattered debris and what appeared to be parts of the small aircraft, including an identifier matching registration B-12PP. These images could not be independently verified.
Flight-tracking data provided by a global tracking service and reviewed after the incident indicated that a plane bearing registration B-12PP was airborne in Beijing’s northeastern suburbs around 5:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT) on Friday. The aircraft appeared to circle widely before heading toward central Beijing, about 50 km from its position earlier in the flight data. Tracking of the signal stopped at 0955 GMT, with the coordinates placing it in the downtown Chaoyang district, the data showed.
Aircraft records in the tracking data identified the model as an Aurora SA60L - a two-seat, single-engine light-sport aeroplane manufactured by China’s Sunward. The registration B-12PP was shown in the tracking service as being associated with Beijing-based Dongshi Shuangyue General Aviation. Promotional material published by that company in 2024 on Chinese social media displayed an aircraft matching that registration and described the operator's services.
Statements from the company in the immediate aftermath of the crash were limited. A company employee contacted on Saturday said she was not sure whether B-12PP belonged to the firm and did not provide further information. A video removed from the company's social media account on Friday evening had advertised a 30-minute sightseeing flight from the small Shifuosi airport priced at 880 yuan (about $129).
Dongshi Shuangyue General Aviation markets low-altitude sightseeing flights, hands-on flight experience programs and aviation training from the suburban Pinggu district, approximately 50 km from downtown Beijing, according to information associated with the firm.
Beijing's most recent recorded aircraft accident prior to this event occurred in 2022, when a tourist helicopter crashed during a flight between the Changping and Fangshan districts, killing the two pilots onboard.
Timeline - key reported points:
- Around 5:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT) on June 26, tracking data shows the plane B-12PP airborne in northeastern Beijing suburbs.
- The aircraft flew in a wide circle and then tracked toward central Beijing, approximately 50 km away.
- Tracking stopped at 0955 GMT with coordinates in Chaoyang district; at that time the aircraft collided with CITIC Tower.
- One person was on board - the pilot - who died. Thirteen people on the ground were injured and are receiving treatment.
- External damage to the skyscraper appears limited to the loss of two large glass panels; the opening was temporarily boarded up.
Authorities have not released a cause for the crash. Investigations are ongoing and details remain limited, including definitive confirmation of the aircraft's ownership at the moment of the accident and whether the pilot was affiliated with any operating company.